A Pastel Door Hanger Plaque

      If you have kids or grandkids who are into decorating the house (or even their part of the house) for Easter wouldn't this image from Birdie Brown make a perfect door hanger plaque?  I used it on a card because if I did a door hanger, my feline fur babies would just delight in pulling it down.  This image has been in my collection of digis for at least 5 years and I don't think I've used it before.

     I colored the image with my new Sanjoki alcohol markers, then cut it with a rectangle die from Tonic Studios.  I used a Fiskars punch to round the top corners.  I found the mint green lace in my stash (another old stash item that's been there well over 5 years!)   I thought it worked perfectly with the green in the image so I used it for the background by layering it onto the card front.  Don't you just love the faux stitching in the image?  It really adds to the delightful "primitive art" look.

     Challenges:

As You Like It (Critters because they are so much cuter than people!)

Craftlandia

Crafty Calendar

Crafty Catz

Crafty Gals Corner

Outlawz SAR (It's Spring!)

Outlawz Thurs

Polkadoodles

     Second post done and the third for today will be posted later this afternoon.  Thanks for visiting.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Lessons from Dad

      I'd never really thought about how the next generation of Easter Bunnies were trained, or even about the fact that there must be 'next generations' since bunnies (Easter or otherwise) aren't all that long-lived.  But when I saw this image from Beccy's Place, a freebie for their April challenge, I knew immediately that Father Easter Bunny was schooling his children in the Easter Bunny arts.  :-D

     Colored with ProMarkers and gel pens, then cut with a QuicKutz die.  The aqua framing was also cut with a QuicKutz die.  Both of the dp came from a Recollections stack.  I left it rather CAS because I wanted the bunnies to be the focus.  I know, I know, many people insist that only "white" open space counts as CAS but I prefer to accept any and all forms of open space, including dp patterns!  I don't believe in excluding all those other lovely colors.  :-D

     I think this one will make a great masculine Easter card.

 I used all 4 colors from 4 Season.

     Challenges:

Allsorts

Colouring in Scrapland

Cupcake Inspirations

Double Trouble

Dream Valley

Get Creative

Inspiration Station

Simon Says Stamp

     That's all I have for this weekend.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Spring Flower Cart

      It's time for the next challenge at I Love ProMarkers and our wonderful sponsor is Paper Nest Dolls.  Our theme is "Spring Time" and I used a darling Paper Next Dolls image called "Flower Cart Avery."

      Colored with ProMarkers, and cut with a fancy Spellbinders die.  The pink CS mat is another Spellbinders die cut.  The sentiment was printed and cut with an Avery Elle die, then matted with a pink CS scrap.  The little bow was hand sewn and a sequin was added.  The tiny leaves came from the scrap basket and I simply can't remember what die I used.  I know it was a leftover from Christmas crafting.

I pulled my colors from the challenge at My Favorite Things.

     Challenges:

Allsorts

Crafty Catz

Cupcake Inspirations

Die Cut Divas

Double Trouble (image sized up)

Outlawz Festive Fri

Polkadoodles

     

     We'd love to see you entering our challenge.  We love being inspired by you, maybe even more than you love seeing our inspiration creations.  :-D  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Flowery Hello

     Catch the Bug had such a great inspiration photo this week that I just had to get a card made using flowers, butterflies, and the colors.  The image is from Bugaboo Stamps.  Everything on the card, including the CS on which the image was printed, came from a scrap.  I love it when I can make cards like that.  Using up scraps and snippets makes me feel so justified when I buy new papers.  :-D

Colored with ProMarkers
Image cut with QuicKutz die
"Hello" from Tutti Designs dies
Leaf branches from Creative Expressions dies
CAS design

     Challenges:
Crafty Sentiments
Dare 2B Artzy
Digi Choosday
Lil Patch of Crafty...
Outlawz SAR
Pixie's Snippets
TTCRD

     We're halfway through this week (for those of you who may have lost track of which day this is) and I hope all is well with each of you.  I'm so ready to get everything back to normal.  In the meantime, Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Dahlia's Blooms

     I absolutely adore this bright, sunny image from Digi Doodle Studios called "Dahlia's Blooms" and think it would also be great in autumn colors but for now, spring reigns!  :-D  I'm sharing this as inspiration for our monthly challenge where the theme is "Flower Power."  You can enter any card which uses flowers, either in the image or as embellishments.  You can use any images by any company but if you use a DDS image, you can win twice as many images for your prize.

     If you use a DDS image, you can also enter the monthly challenge on our Facebook page.

     Here's my DT card:

Colored with ProMarkers and water colors
   (Fav spring color combo!)
Image & frame cut w/ Spellbinders' dies
Hand tied, polka dot, bow
Wide ribbon from Really Reasonable Ribbon
Sentiment printed, edges inked

     Challenges:
Arty Divas
Creative Inspirations
Cute Card Thurs
Dream Valley
House ... Stamps Built
Lemon Shortbread
Pammie's Inkly Pinkies
Paper Funday
Paper Girls
Simon Says Stamp

     I hope you're going to come join us in one or both of our challenges.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Pansies for Mom

     Today I'm showcasing one of the newer image and sentiment sets from Jan's Digi Stamps, released just last month.  Our new monthly challenge starts today and the theme is always Anything Goes.  There's no requirement that you use any of Jan's products but if you do use a JDS image, your entry goes into a separate draw only for entries featuring one of those images.  That increases your chance of being a winner by a huge amount!  :-D

     Here's my card using one of the pre-colored images from "Pansies for Mom" and I did it as a very CAS card.  Pre-colored images are so fantastic for really quick cards and I did my Mother's Day cards at the last minute this year.  For this one, both the image and the sentiment were printed directly onto the card front.  I folded and cut the card to size, then added the sheer ribbon and tied the double bow by hand (not an easy feat and that took more time than anything else on the card!)  :-D

     Mother's Day may just be my favorite 'occasion' (short of my own birthday when I can score presents AND cake!) because it gives me an excuse to make cards with flowers.  I love flower images and usually find that I like the simplest ones the best.

     Challenges:
As You Like It
Crafty Gals Corner
Creative Fingers
Cute Card Thurs
Outlawz Festive Fri
Pammie's Inky Pinkies
Penny's Paper-Crafty
Simon Says Stamp
Southern Girls
Take It, Make It

     Come play with us this month.  The challenge runs from today clear through May 31.  We ove being inspired by all the people who play along.

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie  

Tulip Silhouette for Mom

     I've finally finished my last Mother's Day card (you'll see two others later this week) and can now get them into the mail (if I can find some stamps!)  Even though my own mother has been gone for many years, I still make Mother's Day cards to send to the moms of my 6 grandchildren and 2 great-grands. 

     Today's card features spring colors and a delightful silhouette stamp of tulips in the garden plus a hand-colored butterfly.  It came from Bugaboo Stamps and I adore it.  This is one of  those "git 'er done" cards my friend, Lynn, is so fond of making.  Thanks, Lynn.  I know this is your kind of CAS and I'm doing my best to mimic you.  :-D  The sentiment and the image are both printed on one piece of CS, cut with a die and added to the front of a pre-made card base.

Colored with ProMarkers
Cut with QuicKutz die
Sheer bow tied by hand
CAS design

     Challenges:
Addicted to CAS
Allsorts
Butterfly  (Xiketic/Xanthic/Xtra colors)
Catch the Bug
Crafter's Castle
Crafty Friends
Crafty Gals Corner
Dragonfly Dreams
Lil Patch of ...
Stamping Sensations

     That's all for today.  Tomorrow we'll have a new challenge starting at Jan's Digi Stamps and I'll be sharing another of my Mother's Day cards using one of her beautiful images!  Be sure to stop by. 

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Bunnies and Roses

     We're all familiar with the old adage about stopping to smell the roses but in our current circumstances wouldn't it be great to go outside and smell a rose?  Bunny Dew, from Digi Doodle Studios, has decided to do just that!   Today I'm sharing my DT card for DDS.

Colors from Bastel-Traum

Colored w/ ProMarkers & chalks
Cut w/ Tutti Designs die
Paper from DCWV Basics pad
Wrapped grosgrain  ribbon - Really Reasonable Ribbon
Velvet ribbon for the bow - stash
Sentiment printed and cut - Tutti Designs die

     Challenges:
Arty Divas
CCC Digi Creations
Creations in Pink
Dies R Us
Prika Crafts
Scribbles Designs
Star Stampz
Word Art Weds

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Water Flowers, Not Weeds

     I'm posting a reminder for those of you who haven't yet played in our Anything Goes challenge over at Jan's Digi Stamps.  Our challenge will run until the evening of Sunday, May 3, and you may use any products from any company.  However, if you choose to use an image from Jan's, your entry will be put into a separate draw just for those using Jan's and that increases your chances of winning by a huge amount.

      For this card, I used an image from "Friendship Flowers 702J."  I printed the colored version but in gray scale instead of color, then used a highlighting technique wherein I colored only a small part of the image, making that part seem 'highlighted.' 

     The sentiment is from that same set and seemed very appropriate for our current days when it's so easy to focus on all the deprivations instead of finding a few blessings.  :-D

I used colors from Color My Heart #38, starting with

the diagonal colors from top right down to bottom left,

and then added all the other colors on the board

 before it was all finished, except for the Candy Apple.  :-D

Colored with ProMarkers
Image cut with stitched, Tutti Designs die
Sentiment cut with Sizzix die, edges inked with chalks
Papers from DCWV
Signature, hand-sewn bow w/ gem

     Challenges:
Arty Divas
Creative Inspirations
Digi Choosday
Double D
Ike's World
Lemon Shortbread
Paper Funday
Passion for ProMarkers
TTCRD

     Come play with us, won't you?  We love being inspired by you!  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Peonies in a Jar

     Today I'm back with yet more peonies and I'm still not tired of coloring them.  :-D  This image is from Conie Fong, called Peonies in a Jar, and I thought it would be perfect as a Spring DT card.  On our FB page, we always have two challenges each month - one is for coloring only and the other is for completed projects.  On the completed projects, the theme is Always Anything Goes (with a Conie Fong image) but we give you an optional theme if you want to use it.

     This month it's all about Lace or Pearls.  I featured those on my first 2 DT cards but not this one.  The closest I got to lace was using the Little B die to cut the pink and green, scalloped, mat behind the image.  :-D  The image comes with or without the pebbles in the bottom of the jar.

I based this on one of the sketches at 

Sweet Sketch Wednesday 2.

Colored with ProMarkers and gel pens
Cut with Little B die
Mats cut with Little B dies
All papers are scraps from the basket
Sentiment printed and hand cut
Metal Brads

     Challenges:
Artsy Stamper
Colour Crazy
Crafty Gals Corner
Creative Inspiration
Ellibelle's Crafty Weds
Pammie's Inky Pinkies
Polkadoodles
Southern Girls
Take It, Make It

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Double Trouble Once Again

     Once again, I'm posting a project I did as a Guest Designer at Double Trouble this month.  This challenge the theme is things which are related to Spring and our Double Trouble partner is Artsy Stamper and their theme is also "Spring."
 
               

     This time, I did something a bit different for me - all die cuts; no hand colored image.  But I managed to incorporate ocean waves as my "water" and also included a cat so how bad can that be?  My "Spring Things" are birds, vines, butterflies, and a feline staring out the window.

Dies:  Window = Unbranded Dies
           Butterflies = Impression Obsession
           Sentiment = CUTplorations
Glossy Accents on the waves
Wood grain washi tape
Pearls for butterfly bodies
Metal brads

     Challenges:
Butterfly (everything except card type)
Creative Knockouts
Creative Fingers
Cute Card Thurs
Ellibelle's Crafty Weds
Paper Funday
Pixie's Snippets
Simon Says Stamp (wood grain tape)
Time Out

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Stop and Taste the Tulips

     This fun and silly image came from the Progressive Challenge at Limited Runs this month.  I know we're commonly advised to "Stop and smell the roses" but this one looks more like she's stopping to taste the tulips.  lol  I did a pretty simple design with just the image and some ribbon.

Colored w/ ProMakers
Cut with an Unbranded die
Sheer ribbon from my old stash
Gray CS for the card base

     Challenges:
A Bit More Time...
Crafts Galore Encore
Creatalicious
Creative Crafters
Dare 2B Artsy
Outlawz Stash
Prika Crafts
World Wide Open

     We had rain again this morning, even though our weather predictors said it would only rain up in the mountains and that we'd see nothing.  Mind you, I'm not complaining!  It was wonderful to hear the rain pounding down on the metal awning over my driveway right outside my craft room.  What a wonderful background accompaniment to the creative process.  :-D

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Spring Garden

     Today it's my day to post a DT project to the Digi Doodle Studios Facebook page where the theme is Always Anything Goes and you must use a DDS image.  In addition, there's a challenge on the Digi Doodles Challenge Blog. The theme on the blog is "Spring/Easter" but since Easter was this past weekend, I'm celebrating Spring with this card.

     The image was originally intended to be an autumn stamp and it's called "Sunflower Dreams" but I found it to be a perfect image for spring when I colored it in spring colors.

     Note that I much prefer coloring people to coloring animals, even though I use a lot of animal stamps.  Why people?  Because I love coloring hair so much more than coloring fur and there is an endless variety of hair styles compared to 'fur styles.'  lol

Colored with ProMarkers and water colors
Cut with die from Spellbinders
Ribbon from Really Reasonable Ribbon
Double bow; hand-tied using sheer ribbon

     Challenges:
As You Like It
Colour Crazy
C.R.A.F.T.
Crafty Catz
Creative Inspirations
Cute Card Thurs
Paper Funday
Polkadoodles
Time Out
WordArt Weds

     I hope we're going to see you playing along in one challenge or the other this month.  There's no requirement for using a Digi Doodle Studios stamp in the blog challenge but there is in the FB challenge.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

A Peony Hello

     I don't know what it is lately but I've become almost obsessed with coloring peonies.  Maybe it's because my own peonies haven't been blooming much the last couple of years and I do miss them.  I think it's time to dig them up and replace them.

     In any case, the peonies I used on today's CAS card are an image from AuroraWings and I just got it so it's brand new to me!  It colors up beautifully and I really like the finished result.  One of our local groups has put out a call for donations of hand made cards which they are going to include in bags of groceries for seniors who are house bound or who have problems otherwise getting out to shop for groceries.  This is one of the cards I'm donating but I have also gone through my stash and I have more than a dozen others ready to go.

     By the way, if you have time to stop by the AuroraWings FB page, Mitzi has a freebie Angel you can use if you want to brighten someone's lock down day.  :-D

Colored with ProMarkers
Sentiment die from Poppy Stamps
Butterfly die from Memory Box
Glitter added to Butterfly
Butterfly and sentiment were cut from small scraps headed for the trash bin

     Challenges:
Allsorts (new image)
Artsy Stamper
Colouring in Scrapland
Crafty Calendar
Crafty Friends
Dare 2B Artsy
Dragonfly Dreams
Paper Girls
Pixie's Snippets

     That's all for today.  Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Spring Blossoms

     My apologies for being a day late posting my DT card for the newest weekly challenge at QKR Stampede.  My cold has turned into bronchitis and I'm spending most of my time in bed, except to get up to go to the bathroom or to take my antibiotics.

     For my card today, I used an image from our sister company, Eureka Stamps, called "Frame Full of Flowers."  I thought it was perfect for spring card.

Colored with ProMarkers
Cut with Tonic Studios die
Shimmer ribbon from stash
Double layer bow hand-tied
Yellow CS hand-bleached w/ cotton swab
     (This is the oldest technique I ever use.  It was the first thing I learned when I started with scrap booking and I just brought it along when I ended up making cards.)

     Challenges:
A Gem of a Challenge
Allsorts
Crafter's Castle
Crafty Friends
Crafty Gals Corner
Creative Inspirations
Dream Valley
Mod Squad
Pammie's Inkie Pinkies
Simon Says Stamp & Show

     Come play with us this week and Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Birthday in a Garden

     This is another Guest Designer card I've done using a beautiful image from Conie Fong, called "Garden Bouquet."  I reversed the image for this card.

Colored with ProMarkers
Highlights added with gel pens
Cut with Sue Wilson die
Sentiment printed and hand cut, edges inked
Velvet ribbon scrap
Hand tied tassel

     Challenges:
Art Impressions
Crafty Sentiments
Creative Inspirations
Cuttlebug Mania
Digi Choosday
Ellibelle's Crafty Weds.
Outlawz Festive Fri.
Time Out
TTCRD
Word Art Weds.

     Don't forget that Conie Fong always has a challenge going on their Facebook page with a theme of "Anything Goes" and a different option each month.  This month's option is Spring/ Butterflies/or Die Cuts.  Remember to use a Conie Fong image.  :-D

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie

Happy Cat, Happy Owner

     The problem with the above title is, as we all know, nobody "owns" a cat!   But this adorable image from Digi Doodle Studios, called "Anna Lee," shows just how happy both cat and human can be when  mutually cuddled.  This is my DT card as a reminder that the Digi Doodle Studios challenge is still on going and the theme this month is "Ribbon or Lace."  Obviously, I chose Lace.  :-D

   

I used colors from My Favorite Things.

Colored with ProMarkers and watercolors

Cut with Spellbinders die

Lace from my large collection of laces

Strip of deep green CS used to showcase the lace

Light Green CS base was hand bleached using a cotton swab

Sentiment printed and hand cut

     Challenges:

Artsy Stamper

Cutie Pie

Lemon Shortbread

Pammie's Inky Pinkies

Simon Says Stamps

SUYP Cats

Word Art Weds

     You still have a coupe of weeks to enter our blog challenge and don't forget to check out our Facebook page while you're browsing around.  Over there, we have a challenge that's Anything Goes but you do have to use a DDS image.  :-D  

     Happy Crafting.  NanaConnie